Utah lawmakers push for tax hike for transportation

Officials
in Utah are warning that the state’s economy will be “crippled” unless taxes
are raised for transportation.

The
group, which includes state lawmakers and business officials, is also calling
for the advancement of a 30-year plan for construction of new transit and
transportation systems.

“We
cannot wait until 2030” to build new transportation systems, Lanie Beattie,
president of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce, told TheSalt Lake
Tribune. “It will cripple the economics of the state.”

Speaking
Aug. 18 to members of the state’s Legislative Transportation Interim Committee,
Beattie was adamant that lawmakers, transit and transportation officials work
together to prevent a future congestion crunch in Utah.

John
Inglish, general manager of the Utah Transit Authority, told the newspaper the
population along the Wasatch Front is expected to grow by an additional 1
million people in the next three decades, and development of transit systems
and corridors is critical.

Plans
from UTA include the extension of light and commuter rail.

Plans
from the Utah Department of Transportation call for the construction of the
Legacy Highway – a 120-mile freeway that would run from Nephi to Brigham City – and expansion of other highways, roads and bridges.

These
plans must be pushed forward at least 10 or 20 years, and lawmakers must be
willing to allocate funds for development, Beattie said.

State
Rep. Marda Dillree, R-Farmington, agreed, recommending that transit and
transportation officials talk with new legislators about the need for tax
increases to fund development of a unified, statewide transportation system.

“There
are going to have to be (tax) increases in some areas to address this issue,” she said.